Reed for musical instruments



Feb. 29, 1944. BRILHART 2,342,836

REED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed June 15, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ARNOLD 6m 1. HART ATTORNEY.

Feb. 29, 1944. A. BRILHART REED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed June 15, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /lr wo 1. 0 Bram/119K7- A TTORN EY.

Patented Feb. 29, 1944 UNITED REED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Arnold Brilhart, Great Neck, N. Y., assignor to Arnold Brilhart Ltd, a corporation of New York Application June 15, 1942, Serial No. 447,135

4 Claims.

This invention relates to reeds for musical instruments, for example, musical instruments such as Clarinets and saxophones.

One object of the invention is the provision of a reed formed of a plastic and constructed so that the vibratile tongue thereof is highly flexible laterally thereof and possesses a desirable degree of stiffness along lines extending 1ongitudinally rearwardly from the thin forward marginal edge portion of said tongue. By this construction of the reed, the tongue responds more readily to the control of the player of the instrument and at the same time the tone of the sounds produced by the vibration of the reed is improved in quality. Further, as the reeds are formed by molding thereof from the plastic material, it is possible to reproduce in the reed the characteristic preferred by various players which is a desirable result not easily accomplished, if at all, with wooden reeds.

In general, in accordance with the present invention the reed is formed from a plastic preferably by molding the same in accordance with any suitable plastic molding method. Any suitable plastic, for example, Lucite, Vinylite, Bakelite, Celluloid, etc., can be used, the plastic in itself forming no part of this invention. Said reed thus molded of a suitable plastic in accordance with the present invention is provided in its vibratile tongue portion with a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending alternate ribs and grooves which are molded therein and which extend in a direction forwardly from the rear part of the reed toward the thin forward marginal edge portion of the tongue of the reed in which forward edge portion said ribs and grooves merge. Said ribs and the longitudinally extending portions of the tongue between the bottoms of said grooves and the opposite surface of said tongue decrease progressively in thickness in a direction running rearwardly from said rear portion of the reed, and said grooves decrease correspondingly in depth, whereby the lateral flexibility of the tongue gradually increases in said direction extending forwardly from the rear part of the reed to the maximum lateral flexibility at the forward edge portion of the reed.

The above mentioned and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mouthpiece provided with a reed embodying thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of said reed;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of said reed;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on th line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 5 to 9 are views similar to Fig. 5 showing modifications in the construction of the reed embodying the present invention;

10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the reed shown in Fig. 9, taken on the line lfii& of Fig. 9.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the reed l0 embodying the present inven ion is shown in position on a clarinet mouthpiece l2 to which the reed is secured by the ligature 14. More particularly, reed H) has a rear portion it having a transversely curved upper surface l8 and a fiat lower surface 26 which is seated on the lay of the mouthpiece, being removably held thereon by said ligature I 4. Said reed Ill comprises also, as usual, a longitudinally extending tapering part 22 providing the vibratile tongue of the reed which terminates in a thin forward marginal edge portion 24. The tongue 22 is provided with fiat marginal edge portions 25 which lie in the same plane as that of surface 20 of rear part IS and which extend longitudinally of said tongue from said rear portion It to said forward edge portion 2 of the tongue. It will be understood that. as heretofore indicated, reed H] is formed from a suitabl plastic preferably by molding the reed from said plastic in accordance with any suitable plastic molding method.

For accomplishing the objects of the present invention, the vibratile tongue 22 is provided, on both surfaces thereof, i. e., on its opposite surfaces, with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs Z6 and similarly extending grooves 28, said ribs and grooves being arranged alternately laterally of said tongue. As shown in Fig. 5, the ribs and grooves on one surface of said tongue are ofiset laterally from the ribs and grooves, respectively, on the opposite suface of the tongue, whereby the ribs on one surface of said tongue are located opposite the grooves on the opposite surface of the tongue. As here shown, said ribs and grooves extend forwardly from the rear portion I6 of the reed and toward the front mar ginal edge portion 24 of said tongue in which said ribs and grooves merge preferably at a short distance from the extreme forward edge 3! of the reed. The portion of the tongue lateraly between said edge portions 25 and composed of said ribs 25 and grooves 28 preferaby has a crosssectional configuration illustrated in Fig. 5, and it will be observed that the outer longitudinally extending edges of said ribs are rounded, which is desirable in order to prevent discomfort or injury to the players lips. Said ribs 26 taper in thickness longitudinally thereof toward the forward marginal edge portion 24, and the depth of grooves 28 correspondingly decrease progressively in a direction longitudinally of the tongue toward said marginal edg portion 24, the forward ends of said tongues and grooves merging into said forward marginal edge portion 24 whirh is thin and fiat.

Figs. 6 to 8 show modifications of the crosssectional contour illustrated in Fig. 5. As illustrated in Fig. 6 the upper surface of the tongue portion has a generally convex curvature while the lower surface has a generally concave curvature. In this figure of the drawing the marginal side edge portions of the vibratile tongue part of the reed are indicated at 25 and correspond to the side edge portions 25 of the construction 11- lustrated in Fig. 5. Similarly the ribs and grooves are indicated by the reference numerals 26' and Z8 and correspond to the ribs and grooves 26 and .28, respectively, of Fig. 5. Except for the crosssectional curvature illustrated in Fig. 6, the reed is substantially the same as that described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Similarly, in Fig. 7 the parts 25a and the ribs and grooves 26a and 28a, respectively, correspond to the parts marked 25, 2G and 28, respectively, in Fig. 5. In this form of the invention the upper rib surface is generally convex while at the lower surface the outer ends of the ribs terminate in a fiat plane lying substantially in the same plane as the lower surfaces of marginal side edge portions 25a. In Fig. 8 the marginal side edge portions of the vibratile tongue portion of thereed are indicated at 25b and 281), respectively, said ribs projecting from an intermediate laterally continuous portion 32. It will be noted that in each of the forms of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, the vibratile tongue is provided with alternately arranged ribs and grooves at both the upper and lower surfaces of said portion of the reed and that the rib and groove formation is such that the ribs on one surface of the tongue are opposite the grooves, respectively, at the opposite surface of the tongue.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, the vibratile tongue portion 220 of the reed extending forwardly from the rear portion I60 thereof has a smooth upper surface 34 which terminates in the forward marginal edge portion 240, and in this form of the invention the ribs and grooves 260 and 280 are formed only at the lower surface of said tongue portion. In other respects the reed illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 is the same as the reed described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. The flat marginal side edge portions of the tongue 220 are indicated at 250 in Fig. 9.

While I have shown and described several forms of my invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as herein shown or described. It is to be understood therefore that the present invention is not to be limited to the constructions herein specifically illustrated or described, or to any of them, except to the extent which may b required by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. As a new article of manufacture, a reed for the mouthpiece of musical instruments, comprising a molded member formed of a plastic material and having a rear part adapted to seat on the lay of the mouthpiece and a longitudinally tapering part extending forwardly from said rear part and providing a vibratile tongue terminating in a thin forward marginal edge portion, said tongue having at the opposite surfaces thereof a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending alternate ribs and grooves molded therein and extending in a direction running forwardly from said rear part and merging into said thin forward edge portion, the ribs and grooves on one surface of said tongue being ofiset laterally from the ribs and grooves, respectively, on the opposite surface of the tongue, said ribs and the longitudinally extending portions of said tongue between said ribs decreasing progressively in thickness in said direction whereby the lateral flexibility of said tongue gradually increases in said direction to a maximum at said forward edge portion from a point rearwardly thereof.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a reed for the mouthpiece of musical instruments, comprising a molded member formed of a plastic material and having a rear part adapted to seat on the lay of the mouthpiece and a longitudinally tapering part extending forwardly from said rear part and providing a vibratile-tongue terminating in a thin forward marginal edge portion, said tongue having at the opposite surfaces thereof a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending alternate ribs and grooves molded therein and extending in a direction running forwardly from said rear part and merging into said thin forward edge portion, said ribs and the longitudinally extending portions of said tongue between said ribs decreasing progressively in thickness in said direction whereby the lateral flexibility of said tongue gradually increases in said direction to a maximum at said forward edge portion from a point rearwardly thereof, the ribs at one surface of said tongue being located opposite the grooves, respectively, at the opposite surface of said tongue.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a reed for the mouthpiece of musical instruments, comprising a molded member formed of a plastic material and having a rear part adapted to seat on the lay of the mouthpiece and a longitudinally tapering part extending forwardly from said rear part and providing a vibratile tongue terminating in a thin forward marginal edge portion, said tongue having at its opposite longitudinal edges fiat marginal side-edge portions and a longitudinally extending portion between said side-edge portions provided with upper and lower ribs and grooves extending longitudinally of said tongue at both surfaces thereof, the portions of the adjacent ribs at one surface of said tongue defining portions of the grooves, respectively, between adjacent ribs at the opposite surface of the tongue.

4. As a new article of manufacture. a reed for the mouthpiece of musical instruments, comprising a molded member formed of a plastic material and having a rear part adapted to seat on the lay of the mouthpiece and a longitudinally tapering part extending forwardly from said rear part and providing a vibratile tongue terminating in a thin forward marginal edge portion, said tongue having at its opposite longitudinal edges flat marginal side-edge portions and a longitudinally extending portion between said side-edge portions provided with upper and lower ribs and grooves extending longitudinally of said tongue at both surfaces thereof, the ribs at one surface ARNOLD BRILHART. 

